NFC North Roundup for NFL Week 14
By Dean Holden
Chicago Bears
Dec 9, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Josh McCown (12) celebrates with teammates after rushing for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Won: Bears , Dallas Cowboys
Josh McCown continues to prove the irrelevance of Jay Cutler with a massive win over the Cowboys.
McCown is now 3-2 as the Bears’ starter, with wins over the Cowboys, Ravens, and Packers. The defense continues to be a problem, but it performed well above expectations against Dallas.
Cutler may soon be cleared to return to action, but does Marc Trestman even want or need him to? To say nothing of his impending free agency, does he give the Bears their best chance to win even right now? That’s a tough question, one which Trestman will need to wrestle with in the near future.
Trestman and his regime have nothing invested in Cutler. If he allows him to walk, he can chalk it up to a mistake by his predecessor. It may reflect poorly on him if Cutler starts lighting it up for another team, but nobody will blame a new head coach for bringing in his own quarterback to run his preferred scheme.
McCown, at age 35, doesn’t represent a long-term solution, but he does give the team short-term insurance in the event that a rookie quarterback isn’t ready to start from day one.
Plus, just think of all the money the Bears would save by not re-signing Cutler. They could invest a bunch of that into fixing the defense.
Next Game: 12/15 at Cleveland (4-9)